Wednesday
September 18, 2002
Vol. 113. Issue No. 20
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Tonight: 66°
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KANSAN LHS grads hope to reunite as Jayhawk walk-ons p. 1B
C-SPAN CEO talks on media
By George Schulz editor@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Brian Lamb, founder and president of C-SPAN, speaks at the Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. Lamb answered questions at last night's speech and talked about the news channel's role in public service.
The mainstream media in America are all about money, said Brian Lamb, founder and CEO of the C-SPAN television network.
Courtney Kuhlen/Kansar
Lamb said media outlets were businesses and their natural inclination was to serve consumers in a way that generates profit.
Lamb, who is also the host of the popular C-SPAN program Booknotes, spoke informally yesterday to a group of about 35 people of mostly journalism and communications students at the Pine room in the Kansas Union.
profit. "I have been fascinated by how this business has evolved into a big-money business," Lamb said.
But Lamb said his network was a rare exception.
C-SPAN is a private, non-profit service of the cable television industry. It offers viewers commercial-free programming without dependence on government money. The network earns its operating expenses, which were nearly $40 million in 2001, through license fees paid by cable systems that offer the network to their customers.
network to their customers C-SPAN initially televised U.S. House and Senate proceedings. Now, through C-SPAN2, C-SPAN3, three radio stations and nine Web sites, the network covers elections and public affairs events and offers programs on American history.
Eric Nelson, associate director of the Dole Institute in Politics, said Lamb helped develop "electronic democracy," which encouraged the public to become better informed about political issues through electronic media. Lamb made politics relevant to people, Nelson said.
For certain, few have done more to make sense of our political process and bring politics out of Washington, D.C., and into our daily lives," Nelson said.
Students at the event said they watched C-SPAN during significant events.
SEE LAMB ON PAGE 5A
Web sites cover local music scenes
by Louise Stuffer
Kansan staff writer
instructor@kansan.com
Lawrence rock and hip-hop lovers have their own cyber niche.
Lawrencerock.com and lawrencehiphop.com were launched last October, and have provided information about specific music scenes for students, Lawrence residents and artists. The two Web sites cover tastes that are alive and well in Lawrence.
"There's a pretty vibrant hip-hop community in Lawrence," Andrew Giessel, Larned senior, said.
Giessel created lawrence hiphop.com, along with Kevin Greene, St. Louis senior, and Miles Bonny, Teaneck, N.J., senior. Giessel said he and the other creators decided the site was needed to help artists promote themselves, and to raise awareness about hip-hop shows in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas. The site has a calendar of events, information on local hip-hop artists, venue information, links to other related sites and graffiti art.
Peter Berard, the creator of lawrencerock.com, said the site was created because of the lack of anything
There's a pretty vibrant hip-hop community in
Lawrence."
Andrew Giessel Larned senior
like it at the time.
"People wanted to know what was going on," Berard, Overland Park junior, said.
Lawrencerock.com has similar information as lawrencehiphop.com, except in the rock music genre.
music reviews as well as political information to expand the Web site.
Berard said he added restaurant and
"We want it to be an alternative resource for other kinds of information, like a smaller scale Pitch Weekly." he said.
Courtney Olson, Wichita junior, said she did not use Web sites to find out about local music because she didn't know they existed.
"I usually use The Kansan," she said. Olson said she planned to check out the sites to see when her favorite bands were coming to town.
SEE MUSIC ON PAGE 5A
Internships help out community
By Aaron Passman
apassman@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Keith Wilson, Tulsa junior, spent the summer of 2002 living and working in a church.
Wilson and two other KU students were interns at Heartland Community Church, a non-denominational church in Overland Park. Wilson, an architecture major, is one of many students with religious internships not related to their careers.
Wilson said rather than spending the summer at home in Tulsa, he felt called to do the internship.
"Through a series of events God revealed to me that he wanted me to be in this internship," said Wilson.
Self-maintainence
Wilson spent the summer doing chil-
John Nowak/Kansar
SEE INTERNSHIPS ON PAGE 5A
Joe Fox, Kansas City, Mo. freshman, performs a tune-up on his '71 Chevy pickup in the Oliver Hall parking lot. Fox said yesterday's tune-up was one of many he has done on the car, which he has owned since he was 16 years old.
Software improves vocation service
By Erin Beatty
ebeeaty@kansan.com
vanaan staff writer
KU students now have access to e- recruiting software that could make students entering the workforce more visible to employers nationwide.
University Career and Employment Services started implementing the new system this summer.
Experience, a company that connects students with employers at more than 500 universities, bought Career Connections, the old network used by the University.
Gail Rooney, director of UCES, said the new software allowed employers to browse multiple resumes and conduct criteria-based searches.
"It's different than Monster.com and other sites in that it is branded for KU," Cunningham said. "It's more targeted and appropriate for a university."
Dennis Cunningham, regional director for Experience, said the company offered much more than standard job sites.
Rooney said one difference between Experience software and other job sites is that employers have to be approved by the University to browse students' resumes.
David Libby, recruitment coordinator for the School of Business, said he thought the program was userfriendly.
"Students can save job search criteria on the new system, but they couldn't on the old," Libby said. "With this system, there is a lot more interaction between students and employers."
But the transition from the former software has not been smooth.
Amy McKibbin, Winfield graduate student, said the new system was not easy to use. She tried sending her resume to three companies, but was only able to send it to one.
Cathy Schwabauer, engineering career services director, said she preferred some things about the old system.
"It was easier to pull up names and make updates on the old system," she said. "And the new site is not hosted on the KU server, which makes it slower."
Rooney said Experience had been helpful and promised they were working on network speed.
Patty Noland, career coordinator for the School of Journalism, said once everyone got accustomed to the new system, it would be a beneficial tool.
"In the long run, this system will be excellent for KU." Noland said.
For full access to the software, students must contact their career services office and pay a fee.
Engineering students pay a one-time fee of $25, journalism students pay a one-time fee of $40 and all other students pay $40 annually.
Students in engineering, journalism and business register with their school's career center.
Students in fine arts, social welfare education, and liberal arts and sciences register with University Career and Employment Services in the Burge Union.
Once registered, students can browse the career services calendar and job listings and upload their resume. Students can also sign up for on-campus interviews with emplovers.
For more information, go to www.experience.com.
Edited by Erin Ohm